1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to videoconferencing and more particularly to point to point integration of computers and videoconferencing systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Audio, video, and data conferencing systems are increasingly popular and valuable business communications tools. Videoconferencing systems are utilized to facilitate natural communication between persons or groups of persons situated remotely from each other, thus streamlining the communication and decision-making process and obviating the need for expensive and time-consuming business travel.
The prevalence of laptop computers and presentation software has enabled information to be portable from one location to another. Thus, for example, a salesperson having a laptop computer making a sales call upon a business can easily make a presentation from his laptop computer to interested viewers at the sales call location. However, in order to make the presentation at remote locations of the business, the salesperson has been required to interface the laptop computer into the videoconferencing system of the business.
Conventional videoconferencing systems provide for a personal computer to be coupled through its VGA port to the videoconferencing system. Such systems disadvantageously limit the personal computer operators presentation of images to screen shots of the desktop. The VGA signal must be scan converted by the Videoconferencing system or by an external scan converter. Scan conversion includes converting a digital image in the personal computer to an S video source file which is output from the personal computer's VGA port and input through an S video connector to the videoconferencing system. Scan conversion converts the digital image file to an analog signal that is then re-digitized by the videoconferencing system. Disadvantageously, scan conversion introduces noise.
What is needed therefore are a system and method for providing point-to-point integration of personal computers with videoconferencing systems that overcome deficiencies of the prior art.